A coalition of 11 senators has called on the Trump administration to dismantle a federal pregnancy support website, arguing it funnels women toward unregulated facilities that discourage abortion access without providing legitimate medical care.
The website in question, Moms.gov, launched on Mother's Day under the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration describes it as a resource offering guidance and information for new and expecting mothers, including details on pregnancy centers, federally qualified health centers, and nutritional support.
But lawmakers including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden, and Tammy Duckworth say the site directs pregnant women to crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs. These facilities operate without medical oversight and have no obligation to provide accurate health information or protect patient privacy, the senators contend.
"Moms.gov is not about promoting women's health, it is an attempt to use HHS resources to further strip women of their rights and privacy," the lawmakers wrote in a letter Wednesday. They demanded the administration remove pregnancy center links from the site and stop using federal resources to promote such facilities.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists defines CPCs as facilities that appear to offer legitimate reproductive healthcare but actually aim to discourage people from accessing certain services, including abortion and contraception. Staff at these unregulated centers have no legal requirement to maintain confidentiality under federal privacy laws.
A Government Accountability Office report released earlier this year estimated between 2,400 and 2,800 CPCs operate across the United States. While most CPCs rely on private funding from individuals and nonprofits, some receive federal dollars.
The senators' action comes as reproductive rights advocates face a changed political landscape. Since the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization, 21 states have imposed bans or severe restrictions on abortion access. The lawmakers said the Trump administration's approach of promoting CPCs through a federal website contradicts efforts to protect women's health during an era of expanding restrictions.
The letter requests detailed answers about the website's creation, funding, and operational oversight. A separate letter from dozens of House Democrats this month raised identical concerns and asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to explain the agency's goals in developing and operating the site.
The White House and HHS have not responded to requests for comment on the senators' demands.
Author James Rodriguez: "The administration's decision to promote unregulated facilities on a federal health website is indefensible, especially when women already face record abortion restrictions across the country."
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